filius dei et supra
by S.N. Rainsworth
Summary: wisdom's child walks alone / the mark of athena burns through rome. / This is the beginning of their journey. One thought burns brighter above the rest: do not fall. Do not fall. Do not fall. / Picks up after Son of Neptune. Slight AU. HIATUS.
1. the daughter of athena

Heroes of Olympus © Rick Riordan

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><p><strong>filius dei et supra<br>**_son of god and above._

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><p><em>wisdom's daughter walks alone<br>the mark of athena burns through rome._

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><p>Jason Grace rubbed his eyes and sat up, trying hard not to smell the scent of machine oil on his clothes. He had been helping Leo yesterday to fix the <em>Argo II<em>, and the project lay to rest deep in the night. He still didn't have most of his memories back; of course, Juno was the reason for that. But Jason supposed that he knew how much he needed to know. He didn't belong at Camp Half-Blood. He was the son of Jupiter, not Zeus. And he could not, for the life of him, remember his old life.

There were tales of Percy Jackson, the famous Olympian Hero that let them to victory in the Second Titan War, who seemed to have taken his place at Camp Jupiter. But after hearing some of Percy's tales, Jason knew that he would have no problem settling in there—even if he _did _lose his memory like Jason had.

But Percy was experienced. He fought many more monsters, larger than Jason had ever faced. Sure, he had defeated Krios at Mount Tamalpais, but that was pretty much the only big _thing _he had ever fought. Jason felt a little small next to Percy's adventures, and despite what everyone said, he was pretty much winging it on the quest to save Hera. Camp Jupiter was harsh—he remembered that—but Percy would be able to make it. Camp Half-Blood, however, was strong in its own way; conniving, almost like one collective panther ready to strike.

Jason shook his head, unwilling to think of such thoughts so early in the morning. He was offered Zeus' Cabin, and without anywhere else to stay, resided there for his time at Camp Half-Blood. It wasn't really _him,_ though. His stuff was somewhere else. His home was not here.

Jason pulled an orange shirt over his head, wishing it was purple.

Leo's head popped in, uncaring that this was one of the Big Three cabins that he was forbidden to go into. "Yo, Jasey," he said, grinning. "C'mon, I need your awesome sky powers to help me lift a big metal crate."

The blond boy raised an eyebrow. "Why not get the kids of Mars—I mean, Ares, to do it?" And there he went again, using the Roman terms. He really had to stop that. Most people stared at him weirdly when he slipped, even though most knew his identity by now.

Leo pretended like the slip never happened. "They're sleeping, those lazy jerks," he mumbled. "C'mon! It's like, four in the morning! I don't know why you're up, actually, but I've been working on this baby all night." Leo rubbed his eyes and stepped into the cabin; he was covered in oil stains and some questionable stains as well. There were dark circles under his eyes, matching his already toffee colored skin. "Help a guy out here."

Jason chuckled. He had no idea if Leo was really his best friend or a trick of the Mist, but he didn't care. The son of Hephaestus was a good friend. "Coming, coming. I'll meet you there."

"Good man," Leo nodded distractedly. "While you do that, I will get the great beverage known as coffee down my throat. Excuse me." He popped out of the cabin as easily as he popped in, no doubt running toward the pavilion—now always armed with snacks, seeing as how most Hephaestus kids liked to work deep into the night—to get some coffee.

Jason walked the way to _Argo II. _The sky was still dark and stormy, as it had been for the past few months, despite being the start of the summer. It brought a large, depressing scene over Jason, but he ignored it and focused on peering into the darkness. The _Argo II_ was large, with a gleaming brass infrastructure that was ten times stronger than any usual ship. It was being built right next to the amphitheater, but already much larger than the building itself.

Half of the whole thing was done, plated in celestial bronze that glimmered in the morning sunshine—when it would come. Jason never liked ships and boats, but Leo assured him that this one would be flying at the very least, so he was hopeful. Some of the sails were already on or being threaded with Imperial gold—a little tip that they had gotten from the Roman camp, apparently—and even though it was still in progress and being worked on day and night by the Hephaestus kids and whoever else they managed to rope in, it still wasn't done. It probably wouldn't for another few days. And it's engineer, Leo, really needed a break before he snapped.

"Hey, Roman!" someone called, getting Jason's attention. The nickname edged something in the corner of his mind; there was a similar saying back at Camp Jupiter..._graecus. _Greek. He was Roman. Right.

Clarisse, a large and bulky daughter of Ares that he was introduced to a few days ago, sauntered up to him. She was the head counselor for the Ares cabin, and probably one of the only ones that were actually serious about the project. She had seen a lot of war and battle in her lifetime, fighting in the Second Titan War (something Jason learned about in lessons here) and she was the only one that stayed behind in the Ares cabin. Apparently, the other Ares campers were too old for camp, and the newer ones were...well, just mean and grudging to do work.

The daughter of Ares sized him up—every camper—and then said, "Leo sent you here, right? Help us carry some crates from the Armory. The Hephaestus brats left the new materials there; just bring it over here in a snap, and we can get this ship over with." Even when she said that, she slapped the side of the war ship fondly. _Well,_ Jason thought, _it _is _a war ship. _

So Jason rubbed the sleepiness out of his eyes, wished to see Piper for a moment, and then waved his hand in the general direction of the armory. He felt something tug in his chest, and then he could feel the winds bending to his will for a moment, bringing the crates to his location. He had been practicing—back in Camp Jupiter, he remembered slightly that he would only train with his _gladius, _lance, and Ivlivs. Now, all he had was Juno's gladius.

The box of materials—which was surprisingly heavy—was set down in front of them. Jason started to regret waking up early. Why did he do that, anyways? He couldn't remember why, but it was most likely a dream. For some reason, he was starting to forget his dreams, too. He hoped that wasn't another one of Juno's mischievous tricks.

"Yo, Roman! Thanks!" called one of the campers. Jason nodded in their general direction, shuffling in his spot, hoping for something to do. Thankfully, his prayers were answered. Leo showed up behind him, jumping slightly to hook his arm around Jason's neck and bringing him down with Leo up to his height. There was a hot cup of coffee that smelled heavenly in his hand.

"Thanks for helping, Jason!" Leo chirped, taking another sip. "Ah, I really needed that. Has a bit of nectar in it; want some?" He outstretched his cup as Jason grinned and unhooked the other's arm.

"Nah," he replied, his nose screwing up slightly. "I'll pass."

"Spoilsport," Leo said immediately before punching his friend in the shoulder. "C'mon, I didn't poison it or anything."

"I don't trust you," Jason said somberly, but the twinkle in his eyes told Leo that he was just joking. It was easy to be himself, not the leader that everyone expected him to be, around Leo. Jason hoped truly that Leo really was his best friend, that it wasn't a trick of the Mist. "How far gone are we?"

Leo dropped his joking attitude quickly at the mention of his ship. "Good so far," he said, sighing. "But we'll need more time. I don't suppose that's something we have abundance of, though, is it?"

"Nope," Jason answered needlessly. They headed inside the ship, ducking under metal beams that were set to be the base of the boat. There was a little room that was already done, all the way at starboard, near the heart of the ship. Jason's knowledge of boating terms was limited, and he tried to remember them as best as he could.

Leo led them to that little room, which he had already made his own. There was a small table and cot on the side, different designs and plots pinned up on the walls, tarnished by black fingerprints and scribbles on the margins. Jason thought it looked absentmindedly like how the children of Minerva kept their notes and such. Leo went straight up to the small table, placing his hands on the schematic map in front of him. Long, worn fingers traced that lines and contours of the soon-to-be war ship.

"You'll do fine," Jason said quietly, reassuring him. "There's no doubt in my mind that this'll take us wherever we need to go."

Leo didn't say anything in reply, but smiled slightly. "We'll get to the Roman camp in two days, my estimate," he informed. "We finished the starboard and mast, then the port side. There's space for food and extra supplies in the first deck, and almost all of it will be made of celestial bronze, so we don't have to worry about rust. And yeah, we'll have different flying features—just in case—but...we'll have a son of Poseidon on board, won't we?"

"And a son of Jupiter," Jason reminded, not even bothering to correct the proper term now. "That's something we can discuss later, though. First, let's get the ship done."

Leo smirked and nodded. "It feels so cool, sounding professional like that. And being the supreme commander of this boat! Ha! You guys will come crying to Leo for directions soon!" Jason slapped his friend upside the head, but Leo didn't stop chuckling.

"I'm getting something to eat," Jason told him, rolling his eyes. "I'll be right back." He disappeared behind the finished door, and Leo's smile slowly faded. Being in this large metal hunk made him remember all too much of his mother. Slowly, he allowed memories of burning buildings, weathered hands, and cursed bunkers to make it's way into his mind. Of Hera, capturing him as a child, sealing his fate to save her. To save the gods.

Spontaneously, a flame was produced on his palm, licking his fingertips, cool on his skin. He stared at the light, at the curse he had been given, but then closed his hand in a fist and the light died out.

He just hoped that the same didn't happen to him.

Later on in the day, Leo had been invited by one of the Demeter kids to come to the Big House. Something about a war meeting that he was invited to. Leo had a doubt in his mind that it was just someone checking on his progress, not the actual war, but then he remembered the quest to save Hera and let a small smirk cross his face. Oh, he totally _nailed _that...for some parts.

Turns out, Jason and Piper were there too, sitting a little bit too close to each other on the three-seater. Leo grinned at them wickedly—they really did need to get together—and then plopped down in the seat beside them. It was then he noticed Chiron, Annabeth, and a few other head counselors. He couldn't wait to get the party started. One more camper came in—a girl Piper mentioned as Drew—and then the meeting began. Chiron stomped his hooves on the ground once, and all became quiet.

"As you all know, we currently have other situation at hand. The Great Prophecy is among us once more, and Hera has taken a dangerous gamble. From what we gather, our hero, Percy Jackson, has been taken to the Roman camp for demigods—Camp Jupiter." There was an outrage of broken whispering, one Conner twin shouting, "What?" Chiron boomed, "_Silence!_"

All was quiet once more. "In exchange for Percy, she has given us Jason. A hero for a hero." Jason blushed when he was called a hero. "I know that we have not had the best history with the Romans—in fact, all of it is nearly bloodshed. But we must unite to defeat a bigger evil at hand...something that could rewrite how the whole world works." _Gaea,_ Jason mentally added. "And so, today, we will be inviting the Roman camp Jupiter in our discussions."

Jason got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"You mean Percy?" one camper asked.

"Whoever is in charge of Camp Jupiter," Chiron corrected. "We don't know if Percy is there or not, and if he remembers anything, like Jason has. No one is to make a comment or anything unsanitary." He nodded to Annabeth, who produced a golden coin. "My dear, would you please?"

She headed to the fountain behind Chiron and threw the coin in the water, murmuring, "_O Iris, accept my offering. Camp Jupiter!_" She had not said any name, but when the drachma dissolved, mist sprout out of the fountain and created a two way mirror of foggy glass.

A girl was shown, sitting on a throne with two guard dogs at her side; one colored pure silver, one gold. She had long, glossy black hair the curled into a braid at the side of her shoulder, wearing a golden colored neck plate with an eagle's sign on it. She wore purple draped clothing, like what the Romans used to wear. She had this sort of _silent yet deadly _quality about her, as if she was about to strike. Dark brown, almond shaped eyes stared at them.

"_I take it you are the allies that we will be working with?_" Her eyes flickered to somebody that they couldn't see. "_Camp Half-Blood._"

Chiron was not at all surprised, just nodded grimly. "I'm afraid that this is the time to set aside our past...differences and work together to defeat a much bigger worry at hand." He spoke calmly, kindly, like he would to a new camper. But there was also a dark tinge to his voice that no one could deny.

"_I've already been informed,_" said the girl. "_Yes, and if I am correct, your ship will come soon?_"

Annabeth nodded this time. "At most, it will be..." she spared a look at Leo, who held up two fingers. "...two days. I will come, as well as Leo Valdez, Piper McLean, and—"

"_Jason Grace._" she finished Annabeth's sentence, fixing her dark, intense eyes on Jason. Said boy shifted in his seat uncomfortably. "_Yes, I am quite aware. I take it that you have no memory?_"

Jason blinked. "Uh, yeah, how did you—?"

The girl smiled thinly. "_Sad. You were one of our best warriors, a great leader. It's a loss for the Romans, I suppose._" the girl nodded to Jason, then turned to someone offstage. Then, standing slightly, she said loudly, "_Percy! Come over here!_"

Annabeth's sharp intake of breath could be heard.

Jason perked up, and he was sure that Piper and Leo had too. All they had heard was stories of the great Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon, the guy to defeated Kronos and was the subject of the First Great Prophecy. And now, they would see him in the flesh. Jason was sort of nervous; what if he came and then...and then what? He didn't know, and that was what made him so anxious. Plus, the absolutely vulnerable look on Annabeth's face—and on the other head counselors—made him feel awkward.

They heard another voice, faint and then becoming clearer by the second. "_Coming, coming. One of the centurions wanted to talk to me—the First Cohort, I think. They had a problem with the horses._" The girl smiled again, shaking her head slightly. "_Already helping out?_"

Percy Jackson came into view, speaking to her and then turning to see the IM. "_Well, I wouldn't just...ignore them..._" his eyes widened, and Jason could feel his own widening as well.

He didn't know what to expect, but this certainly wasn't it. He didn't understand how people seemed to depend of the son of Poseidon's appearance much, but now he could. There was some sort of quiet power about Percy. If Jason didn't know better, he would have mistaken him as a god, with features like a Roman statue—and he had seen a _lot _of those—and a sort of aura around him that just glowed. He had constantly shifting eyes, green with blue and changed as much as the waves of the ocean did. His hair was a dark, pitch black and he was lightly tanned, wearing a purple drape as the girl was with a white shirt underneath and a nearly identical neck plate.

When he turned, Jason could see the black markings—the _exact same ones _he had—reading 'SPQR' across his bicep, a trident underneath and a single strip across it. When the girl stood up to stand next to Percy, Jason could see that she also had the markings; except with a different symbol and four stripes. They looked formidable together, two leaders that would somehow, take care of everything. Jason couldn't understand why, but he felt as if they could win with people that Percy Jackson and the girl, leading them to victory. And then he remembered that...he was in the position too. Once upon ago. Right now.

"Percy," Annabeth breathed, the first to make a move. She reached out her hand as if she could touch him through the mist, but then stopped herself. Jason thought he could see her lip trembling. "Where have you _been_?"

Percy gave a little half-smile and crossed his arms. "_Well, for about eight months, I was sleeping._" his eyes slanted toward her. "_Like Pan in the Labyrinth, remember? Hera woke me up and wiped by memories, but as of now, I've recollected all of them._" He faced Chiron. "_We have the other three half-bloods, you know. And a harpy named Ella that's read the Sybillian Books._" Jason, Leo, and Piper didn't know what that meant, but Chiron paled and Annabeth blinked rapidly three times.

"I still can't believe you're here, and you _remember _everything, so don't drop something like that on me." She shook her head, smiling. "Oh, gods."

Percy grinned. "_This is Reyna, by the way. She hasn't told you her name yet, has she?_" Reyna, to his surprise, seemed a bit abashed and annoyed. Jason supposed that she was the type of girl who didn't get embarrassed no matter what. He heard Leo lean over and whisper in his ear in a conspiring manner, "She's _hot._"

Of _course._ He would _always _go after the girl who wouldn't give him the time of day. (Proved by the traitor, Khione, and his sister Thalia.)

"It's good to see you, m'boy," Chiron said, his voice strained. "I see you've been doing yourself good."

Reyna, in return, gave them a small, genuine smile, a glimmer of pride in her eyes. "_He is from the Fifth Cohort, and has already been promoted to praetor._" She shook her head. "_Most definitely the fastest climb in ranks that I have ever seen._"

"Fifth Cohort? Praetor?" someone said from the crowd, which turned out to be the head counselor of some minor god. "What does that mean?"

Annabeth opened her mouth to answer, most probably with much more enthusiasm than she had in months—after all, she had finally seen her presumed to be disable boyfriend—but someone else beat her to it: Clarisse.

"Back in Rome, the Romans were much more organized than we were with their fighting forces. There were Legions, and then each Legion had one _praetor,_ which is a leader of the Legion. Legions were divided into Cohorts, lead by the leaders, called _centurions._ Everyone under that was called..._probatio,_ I think." Clarisse shrugged, acting nonchalant at her impressive little lecture while everyone was stunned; including Reyna and Percy. "What? My father is the god of war. We study too!" she defended, crossing her arms.

Reyna chuckled. "_Just like the daughter of Mars has said, Camp Jupiter is organized that way. We are part of the last twelve Legions that were led by Aeneas, son of Venus, after Troy had fallen. Unfortunately, the other Legions have been lost, destroyed, or scatted after the Fall of Rome. Camp Jupiter is currently the Twelfth Legion Fulminata._"

"_Senatus Populusque Romanus,_" Jason said suddenly, as if it was a dam waiting to be broken inside of him. Heads turned his way and he fought to keep a blush off his cheeks. "Sorry. But that was really familiar; SPQR, right?" He tensed, his eyes drawn to the written words on their arms, so similar to his.

Percy nodded. "_The Senate and People of Rome,_" he translated needlessly. "_Just like it's translation, we're in the forum right now. Thank gods the Senators themselves and Leres aren't here, though. You'd have a full-out verbal war._" He rolled his eyes, and then his tone suddenly shifted; apparently, his stay at Camp Jupiter had done something to him. "_How is the war ship going? Tyson told me it was called the Argo II._"

"You got that right!" Leo called out, pumping his fist in the air. "It's named after this guy right here. Jason and the Argonauts. Smart, right?" He grinned crookedly.

Thankfully, Percy laughed at the cheesy attempt at humor. "_Believe it or not...you're going to have a real descendant of the Argonauts on board soon, so yeah, I'd say that's pretty appropriate._" Almost every jaw in the room unhitched. Leo's eyes widened. Jason felt as though someone had stuffed his throat with sandpaper, and Piper had been quiet from the very beginning.

"The Second Great Prophecy," Chiron started, looking grim, "is almost upon us. And this seems to prove it. You know what you need to do, right m'boy?"

Percy nodded. "_Go to the original home of the gods; Rome, which will eventually take us to Greece. Close the Doors of Death. Thanatos had been chained earlier, did you know? He was all the way up in Alaska before we freed him. That was the reason why death was being so...loose lately, I guess. Is there anything I'm missing?_" He directed this question to Reyna.

"_Save the ambassador of Pluto,_" she reminded him. "_He will be more than angry if we don't._"

"Ambassador of Pluto?" Annabeth questioned. "Do you mean Hades?"

"_Nico,_" Percy said in reply, frowning deeply. "_He went to find the Doors of Death in the Underworld _alone, _and managed to get himself captured. He's somewhere in Rome as well._"

"This information is troubling," Chiron said. "Do you know the half-bloods that will be accompanying you from Camp Jupiter?"

"_Yes._" Reyna answered. "_Percy, son of Neptune, praetor. Frank Zhang, part of the Fifth Cohort, centurion, son of Mars. Hazel Levesque, also part of the Fifth Cohort, daughter of Pluto._"

"What?" Annabeth furrowed her brow. "But that's impos—"

"_Lotus Casino,_" Percy said quietly, giving her a pointed look. Annabeth pressed her lips tightly together. "_She's only about ten years younger. I don't know how Nico did it, but..._" his voice got quieter. "_I'm pretty sure I have a good idea._"

It seemed as though only Chiron, Annabeth, and Percy seemed to know what they were each talking about, but the grave tone in the hero's voice was enough to warn the rest of the demigods that something was amiss, something dangerous. Clarisse seemed to be somewhat satisfied that her Roman half-brother would be part of the Seven, but she also seemed to shift uncomfortably, making Jason wonder if she knew something as well. It was so odd, watching them talk, as if they belonged together and somehow didn't.

"That still leaves one missing," Piper piped up, sending everyone to look her way. Unlike Jason, however, she held their gazes. "There's seven half-bloods that'll _answer the call,_ right? But if it's me, Leo, Jason, Percy, and—Frank and Hazel, was it?—on the boat, then that still leaves one missing."

"_Only time will tell,_" Reyna finally said cryptically after a moment's silence. "_We shall expect your...ship, as you've said? Soon. I will make sure that none of the Roman demigods will attack. Perhaps we can get the Cohorts to say inside city borders..._" she murmured to herself; it seemed as though she was expecting some sort of major bloodshed the moment they came.

"_Tell Terminus too,_" Percy suggested. "_He'll go crazy if he finds a bunch of Greek demigods on his border._" Reyna nodded thoughtfully, and then she turned to face Chiron.

"_Chiron, trainer of heroes,_" she began, "_We will see how well you've trained them. Until then._"

Percy smiled at Annabeth now, the same half-smile that she remembered and was looking endlessly for the past few days. "_See you soon, Wise Girl._" Then he raised a single hand and swiped it through the image, cutting off their connection. There was a silence that covered them all, almost suffocating, until Leo broke in with a slightly lame and out-of-place, "Well...that went great, didn't it?"

"He's changed," Annabeth said quietly, looking at the spot Percy was. "You can tell, can't you, Chiron?"

Chiron agreed. "He obviously has been through Lupa, the trainer for Roman demigods. And...she certainly isn't one to keep weaknesses." His tail flickered and he turned to Jason. "This is a good time for you, boy. As soon as you make it to Camp Jupiter, you may be able to get your memory back, the rest of it. Ah, I've forgotten to ask Percy how he got his back...no matter. We must return to the ship-building. I'm afraid I have a few things to talk about with Annabeth. Council dismissed."

The half-bloods got up and starting murmuring things to each other. To his immediate relief, none of them seemed to be looking at Jason or talking in particular about him. He had no idea how he had managed to somehow save Hera and defeat all those monsters he had in his flashbacks but couldn't even deal with the pressure of having so many people rely on him. After all, they had done it before and he seemed to be fine. Why couldn't he now?

_Because you don't know,_ something in his mind told him. _Because you are not the same Jason Grace as you were a month ago._ He closed his eyes. He felt Piper slip her hand into his, and then allowed himself to smile, staring at her kaleidoscope eyes. They always made him feel better. Suddenly, something in his mind flashed.

_Sat in the deepest tunnels of the city under the city of New Rome, Jason Grace smiled and leaned back on his chair, looking at the battle plan he had mapped out in front of him with satisfaction. His hands were stained with ink—they did not dare use anything else—and he wiped them on the side of his light blue jeans. Jason rolled up the parchment, making sure a piece of twine was properly curled over it._

_Next to him was a candle on a holder, just waiting for him to burn it out. As he walked, the bronze walls of the place was lit dimly, showing depictions of Roman mosaics, pictures of Neptune defeating his numerous monsters, the Giants sleeping, Jupiter standing tall and proud, Apollo and Diana standing back to back while slaying a myriad of monsters. Some of them were battles that he did not know. Some were some that he had studied so intensively that he could recite the color of their armor. _

_Jason pushed back his blond bangs, thinking that he would definitely need to get them cut soon. Perhaps Terminus's suggestion of keeping a crew cut wasn't so much of a bad idea. He filed that away for later and reached the end of the wall, a portion that was not covered in art, but rather carved in deep with bookshelves. _

_He placed the candle down on a small ledge and then looked up, apparently knowing what he was doing. He placed the scroll of parchment in one of the shelves, at the very top. When he finished and was about to get down, he heard a familiar voice saying, "I'd knew you would be here."_

_Jason jerked, flying backward, ready to get his coin out of his pocket, but then calmed. "Reyna," he identified the dark-haired girl. "What are you doing here?" _

_"It's nearly time for the last meal of the day," said Reyna, her dark eyes glinting in the small firelight. "Since we still don't have the eagle...well, I supposed that it would be better if you would be there. Two praetors to keep the camp calm. You've spent most of your time here." _

_"I've always been an information nut," Jason admitted. "I have no idea why I wasn't a son of Minerva or anything." _

_"Perhaps you are part of her legacy," Reyna mused, but Jason didn't think so. After all, what vague recollection he had of his mother certainly wasn't good; a woman like that, coming from a bloodline of one of the most prestigious gods of wisdom and strategy? Nah. "But anyways. Come. We are all waiting for you." _

_Jason let out a strained chuckle. "That's exactly what I'm afraid of, Reyna." he sighed, running his hands through his hair. "I can't live up to expectations. I'll probably won't even be a good leader. I'm a warrior, not a strategist and conniving Senator. That's Octavian." _

_Thankfully, Reyna chuckled at his joke. She stepped forward and placed her hand on his arm, smiling up at him slightly. "Well, I am a warrior as well. I have no idea what I'm doing sometimes, to tell you the truth," she said. Jason found it unbelievable that a person like Reyna had such..._humane _problems. She seemed so other-wordly sometimes. "But what I've learned is that you can always get through it if you just run straight on." _

_Something in her smile made him confident. Sure, ever since he had been appointed praetor, he had been spending more time with Reyna...and scrolls...but he never thought that they would come together like this one day. And he had always seen her as the leader, calm and pragmatic, but here...here, she seemed so real, her smile more than just the icy facade that she played for the world. _

_Reyna's warm hand slipped into his, and Jason gripped it tightly. "Yeah. You're right." He just hoped he didn't crash first. _

Jason blinked at the unexpected memory. He was so stunned that his grip on Piper's slackened, and her face changed from one of bliss to worry. Her pretty, blue-green eyes considered him carefully. "Jason, are you okay? You look like you've seen the Oracle of Delphi before it possessed Rachel, and Annabeth told me that she was pretty horrible."

"I..." he shook his head. "I just remembered something."

Piper sounded excited. "You did? That's great! Do you think it'll help us with the war?" She placed her hand on his arm in excitement, and instead of the warmth that he got from Reyna, Jason received something that was akin to a thousand bolts running up his arm. And that was ironic, considering who his father was.

"N-no," he said, mentally cursing himself for his voice shaking. "I just...it's a personal memory, I'm sorry." he finished instead, taking a deep breath to level out his thoughts instead.

Piper seemed to notice his indecision and wisely took her hand off, letting it awkwardly hang in the air before setting it down beside her. "Okay," she said simply. "Um...it's still a bit dark out...I'm going to go get a jacket..." It was no problem for her, really, because Jason figured out that they had already walked to the main U-shape of the cabins, and Aphrodite's was right at the end. Piper glanced back, as if wondering if Jason would come after her and place his coat on her shoulders (he probably would've done it too) but Jason kept stock still in his place.

Out of all the things, he never would have expected _that. _

His first impression of Reyna was cold and calculating, generating the same aura of power that Percy did, subtle and so natural that he didn't even notice it until he had something to compare it to. But that Reyna in his memory, she was sad, comforting, knowing..._real._ Human. He found his heart thudding traitorously at the thought of her dark eyes and dark hair. He once watched her movements, he remembered that. And here he was, holding hands with a kaleidoscope-eyed girl and her quirky smile.

Gods, he was messed up. Jason clutched at his hair for a moment, hoping that the strain of trying to keep the memory in his head would go away. It did, after a while, but he didn't try to recollect any more memories. If they were starting to come back to him...maybe Juno had kept her promise after all. (Or Hera. Whatever.)

To tell the truth, Jason was sort of scared of his memories. What had he done in his past that made him praetor? What had caused Reyna to smile at him like that? What happened between them? Who was Octavian? Why did everything about that place feel so _familiar, _but somehow, he couldn't...couldn't seem to grasp it between his fingers? _Oh gods, I wish Percy said how he got his memory back. _At least that would help. Majorly.

Jason grit his teeth and rubbed his tired eyes. He would get some more sleep, and then think about this whole confusing mess later. Oh, how he wished sometimes that he had never been born.

.:.

Leo was attracted to things that seemed to hurt him.

Take Khione, for example.

He actually thought he had liked her...well, before she went all crazy-against-the-gods. Then Thalia, who decided that he was not worth the gum on the bottom of her hiking boots. (The only consoling thing about her was that she was a Hunter of Artemis, who all thought men were the bane of existence.) Now Reyna, who seemed to favor his best friend over him. What a suckish life he led.

And it wasn't just his love life that was failing, it was his confidence in the whole 'saving-the-world' thing too. He had heard stories of all the great things the demigods did around here, and while he _did _do some pretty cool things on the Quest for Hera, it was nothing like what he had heard. A daughter of Aphrodite who pretended to be a daughter of Ares, leading all of Cabin Five in war? Whoa. A son of Hades—whom he supposed was captured by the Council meeting—bringing along a whole army of the undead? Unthinkable. Breaking down the Brooklyn Bridge so that monsters couldn't pass through? He was like, _where the hell was this on the news?_

He didn't really think of himself a hero. Just the guy who built the ship, killed his mother, controlled fire—which was something _other _Hephaestus kids couldn't do, so that just made him freakier. Yeah, way to boost a guy's spirit. If anything, all he hoped he could do was give them a way to Rome. As in, Rome, in _Europe-_Rome. But first, he was going to meet Percy Jackson.

Leo had only heard stories about the great Hero of the Gods, Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon. A hero even greater than Hercules, some people said, and Hercules was a pretty big hero. The guy was like, Leo's _hero _right about now, next to Beckendorf. Seeing the guy in person—well, sorta—left him speechless. He thought that the guy in the IM was a god for a moment!

Plus, he knew about Beckendorf. Nyssa had said that Percy was on the exact same boat that Beckendorf was on when it exploded, ending them both. _A recon mission,_ Leo remembered. _Gone very wrong. _He wanted to hear stories about Beckendorf and his brilliant projects, try to make some of his own.

He couldn't wait until this baby was finished. The faster they got things done...

...the faster Leo could start to forgive himself.

.:.

_to be continued._


	2. the son of neptune

Heroes of Olympus © Rick Riordan

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><p><strong>filius dei et supra<br>**_son of god and above._

* * *

><p><em><em>to the north, beyond the gods, lies the legion's crown<em>  
>falling from ice, the son of neptune shall drown.<em>

* * *

><p>Percy exhaled a shaky breath as soon as his hand cut through the Iris Message. Gods, that had taken most of his energy, to act so...<em>leaderish?<em> To restrain himself from acting like the twelve-year-old inside of him wanting to burst out and hug Annabeth, sleep in a bed, and just simply forget all his troubles. Thankfully, he and Reyna were alone when they received the IM. It was just after one of the Senate debates, so they got lucky. They wouldn't next time.

"You did good, Percy." Reyna said, moving forward and patting him on the arm, where his shoulders were covered by the golden plate. "Ah, and don't worry about the clothes. It's only formal; you can put them back in your room and wear whatever you want."

"I'm still not totally clear on the whole _praetor _thing," Percy admitted suddenly. It caused Reyna to turn around, a hint of pity in her eyes. "I mean...I remember everything from the Battle of Manhattan, and Kronos, and I know that...Jason, right? He was at Mount Tam, fighting Krios...but I'm not a leader like that. I don't know what to say in front of other people, what to do. What if I mess up?"

Reyna considered him for a moment, apparently thinking something over. She looked a bit like Annabeth with her calculating eyes, lost in thought. Oh gods, Annabeth. Just the thought of her sent something pulling at his chest, like someone was physically trying to bring him to her. "What was that at your first meeting, Percy?" Reyna said finally, jolting him out of his thoughts. "What did you do to Octavian?"

Percy frowned. "I was just—"

"You talked him down. You took his words and you made them work in your favor. You made the Senate docile enough to allow the motion of having Greek demigods—whom, may I remind you, we have not a good relationship with—come through our borders. You say you're not a leader, but as you've said...didn't you defeat Kronos?" A smile flitted across her face, and for a moment, Reyna looked so old, so _weary._ Percy realized that every since Jason and he switched places, she must've been running the whole camp by herself. "If that's not good leadership, I don't know what is."

Words, familiar words, seared across his mind. Chiron had once said that to him as well. Percy was left in his confused daze, which Reyna misinterpreted as hesitance. She plowed on. "You are a natural leader, Percy. Like Jason. Like the original Perseus. Don't try to convince yourself out of it." Reyna nodded her head toward the exit. "I've noticed that you're not comfortable with your place in the _Via Principalis._"

"Not really," Percy admitted, thankful that they had moved past the issue of leadership. He was still going to think that over. "It's just...I feel like I'm taking Jason's place here. I don't belong here, Reyna. A Greek in the world of Romans." He chuckled, slightly bitter. "I don't know if I can hold out here, and it must be worse for Jason."

Reyna pursed her lips, turning around completely. "You _are _taking his place, Percy." she said bluntly, causing him to wince. "You are the _praetor_ now. You said that you would protect this camp with your life. And I expect you to hold your word to it. Jason Grace is the old _praetor_. You are the new one." Reyna's face softened. "But this is Jason's home. And Camp Half-Blood is _your _home. And you are the Savior of Olympus, and he is the Slayer of Krios. No one will change that."

Despite the harsh tone, Percy knew that Reyna was trying her best to comfort him...in her own, ice-queen way. And it sort of worked. Percy let out a long sigh. He nodded at Reyna and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, thanks, I guess."

Reyna's eyebrow twitched in something akin to bemusement. "Now come. I still need to explain to you all the things a _praetor _is responsible of."

Percy tried not to groan.

Hazel Levesque stared at her reflection in the dark, polished gold of the helmet in her hands. Soft blue plume rose from the top, imitating a _graecus._ Hazel allowed herself to peer curiously at her dark eyes, her even darker skin, the dark hair that fell from her head. It was hard to imagine that she was the one that had given life to the great monster Alyconeus and she (or Nico) would be the one to defeat him. She couldn't find herself to have the same courage that Percy or Jason had, to headfirst in battle without worrying about consequences.

She had been given another stripe on her arm for her efforts and bringing Thanatos back where he belonged, but Hazel didn't feel anything more than relief. She was so sure that on the whole trip, she was only bringing herself closer to her second death. It was a miracle that Nico had managed to find her, but to die again? No. She hated the Fields of Asphodel, even when she could have chosen to reside in Elysia.

Hazel put the helmet down on the long, narrow table that would be cleared out soon by itself. She turned around and didn't look back. The helmet was the last of her weapons that were stolen from the large nest that they had found in Alaska, the only true thing that she had left of that quest. Beside her memories, of course.

Placing her hands in her pockets, she could feel the small, stubby edge of a stick left in her pocket. She clutched her fingers tightly around it, as if she thought that if she could keep it close to her than it would stop the stick of wood from disappearing completely. Then her fingers loosened and she closed the zipper on her pocket, making sure that it would not fall out.

She jumped of her own accord when she felt a hand on her shoulder; turning around quickly, she found herself staring into the eyes of Frank, who was gazing at her with concern. "You okay, Hazel? You look a little pale."

Hazel shook her head. "I'm fine," she promised him. "It's just...so many things happened. I can't believe..." _We've completed a quest and saw one of our own become a praetor, and now we're going to Rome to beat some Earth-baddies. _It was all spoken through their eyes, but Hazel understood it enough; she knew that Frank did too. It was something that was between them.

"I know," Frank said. "It seems impossible, even know." _Impossible to think that just a few days ago, I was a bird and an elephant and a bear. _"But it's not necessarily a bad thing, right?"

Hazel swallowed. _Oh, if only you knew what I've done..._"Traveling to Rome with two of the greatest heroes ever?" she quirked a brow. "I hope that I'm a better person by the end of it." Hazel didn't know what she was expecting. And she didn't know if she would like going to Rome, the place where this all started. Where it would end.

Frank gave a little half-smile that made her heart flutter. "They're still human, Hazel." he reminded her. "Percy's like a brother to me. Though, I suppose being related helps..." Even though he knew that he looked nothing like Percy; the son of Poseidon was comfortable in his own skin, confident. Frank was afraid he would skewer himself with his own spear. He didn't know how he and Percy were related, but Frank was glad nonetheless. Having some sort of kinship with someone else was definitely something special, something he hadn't experienced lately.

Just as they were speaking about Percy, there he was. "Hey guys," he said, grinning. "What's with the long faces? You look like somebody died!" Suddenly, he seemed to clam up; looking around, he said worriedly, "No one's died, right?"

Hazel laughed. "No. We were just...thinking over all that's happened."

Percy smiled. "I remember my first quest," he said wistfully. "I was so nervous, scared. I had no idea what to do, especially when we got back to camp. I had no idea how to act." The smile go wider as he turned to Frank. "That's when I fought your father, Frank-o. And I won, if I might add."

"You beat him?" Frank repeated, incredulous. "Whoa. Your first quest."

"Yup." Percy said. "But then again...we _were _near Santa Monica beach..." Frank laughed, knowing that Percy was unbeatable if he was near water. He saw first hand the power the son of Neptune had when he was near water, and Percy spoke about Mars—or Ares—with a sort of vindictive tone that told Frank that there was some backstory between them two.

"You owe us a lot of long stories, Jackson," Hazel teased. "Get cracking."

Percy groaned. "Oh gods, I don't want to relive those," he shook his head. "But yeah, I'll tell them all to you sometime. But not right now. It's better to just relax for a few days; after all, we have another quest that we're going to in a minute." They entered the forum of the city, Terminus calling out from the border and his newly built statue, "Hi Percy and friends!"

Hazel watched as families started to back away slightly and bow down in respect. Frank fidgeted when they did, not used to so much power and respect shown their way. Hazel also felt uncomfortable, because she didn't like it felt to be the center of attention. She turned to Percy, who looked unfazed. "Why are you so calm?" she hissed.

"I'm a little bit used to it," he admitted sheepishly. "I've had a lot worse in my old camp."

That just made them _both _wonder what the hell he actually _did _to get that kind of hero treatment.

"So, where are you taking us?" Hazel asked lightly, noticing that Percy was now leading them somewhere instead of just wandering. They had made it past New Rome's borders, and now were near the forum. It seemed like a debate was taking place; Percy winced.

"Nowhere, actually..." he trailed off. "I...er..."

"Escaping from your _praetor _duties?" Frank guessed, grinning when Percy's cheeks became a light shade of red.

"No," the son of Neptune retorted. "I just...I just excused myself from the debate." A shadow seemed to fall across his face. "If Romans really are as organized and substantial as they say, some of those Senators should have the guts to come up and apologize before I bash their little helmets in."

Hazel chuckled nervously; an angry Percy wasn't something you saw everyday. And with the new revelation that he was a Greek demigod and not a Roman one, Hazel supposed it made sense why Percy was much different from the rest of them. He may have seemed stupid at first, but he was actually pretty intelligent, a great fighter. But he was merciful, and he thought things through—something Romans didn't really do in time of battle.

She also supposed that she couldn't say that Percy hadn't changed at all; he had been through Lupa, the she-wolf, without his memory and survived on instinct. He ran through multiple cities to get to Camp Jupiter and had the scars to prove it. There was a certain look in his eye that he would get whenever someone unsightly got too close; a sort of wild look, dangerous and predatory. It was unlike anything she had ever seen before, like he was a part of nature, like he was this short of being a deadly animal. A deadly enemy.

Hazel wondered how one person could have so many faces. Like Percy's bright and sunny smile, compared to the grim determination he held in battle.

(And one really couldn't forget Frank either.)

"What did they do?" Frank asked, curious. A little satisfactory smile played on the green-eyed teen's face. "Let's just say it was the kettle calling the pot black."

He took them to the middle of the city, where the legacies of demigods stayed and lived out the rest of their lives. Up ahead was the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus, but by the sour look on Percy's face, it seemed he wasn't a fan of Jupiter—or Octavian, the skinny blond standing at the front doors.

"So, lets do some of that relaxing, eh?" Frank said, raising an eyebrow. Percy seemed to agree, then his eye caught something; Reyna standing in front of the forum, staring at him coolly with her dark eyes; somewhat irritated, somewhat amused.

"Ah, you guys do that," he said, pulling away. "I have to go back to being a bore."

They followed his line of sight and saw Reyna there, who know quirked an eyebrow.

Hazel chuckled knowingly. "Go, O Chosen One. We'll be here, living it up." She pushed him slightly, and Percy mimed being hurt.

"Fine then," he sniffed. "I see where I'm not wanted. You lovebirds go and have fun." He took off before either of them could process what he said. Percy had a smile on his face, knowing that Hazel and Frank looked exactly like how he and Annabeth had when they were teased of being constantly together. Besides, they could use the push; after all, neither of them were dead, but who knows how much time they actually had left?

"I see you're fitting in just fine," Reyna said dryly, but giving him a shake of her head anyways. "The first debate was done. You need to be here for the second one; after all, it's about your Greek friends."

"And your allies," Percy pointed out. "They're not that bad, Reyna."

Reyna seemed to consider this for a moment. "If most of them are like you, then maybe," she concluded, causing Percy to flush. "Come on. I've been leading this Legion far too long." She sounded weary, and it occurred to Percy that she had been doing this far too long, with almost no one at her side.

He stopped her by taking her elbow. Then, very solemnly, he said, "You go back to the _Via Principalis._ I'll take care of it form here."

Reyna was certainly shocked. She stared at him with uncomprehending eyes, not saying a word. Then, she seemed to regain her cool. "You've been _praetor _for a short time, Percy. I don't know if the Senators will cool down to you so quickly, and there might be a chance—"

"I was the war leader of Camp Half-Blood for nearly five years," he said, keeping his voice soothing. It was a trick he used with Annabeth when she was stressed out or simply mad at something. "I can handle it. And you're right; you've been doing this for far too long. Take a break. I'm serious—you look like you can break at any moment."

Reyna hadn't meant it to, but Percy's words made an indent on her. Sure, she wasn't the same since Jason left, managing Camp Jupiter and all it's demands by herself. Reyna kept herself in check, always placing a mask on her face that allowed everyone else to see their fearless leader, to see the person that gave them hope. Reyna always had to be that person, and once upon a time, Jason had been there to share that burden with her. But now it was Percy. Jason left. He _left_, and even though it wasn't of his own will, Reyna still blamed him.

"Okay," she said finally, her shoulders less tense. "Okay." Then she turned around, holding up her purple drapes to make sure that they would make her slip. She walked away into New Rome like a ghost, lifeless, and Percy felt something catch in his throat. He had ruined her life, and he was going to make it up to her. If he thought hard, he could make out Reyna's face from among the girls on Circe's Island. Just barely, but there—a catch of dark eyes before he had met Annabeth's beautiful ones.

He turned around, preparing himself mentally to face the Romans.

.:.

Annabeth closed her eyes and tried to imagine Percy's face. His nose, his lips, his cheekbones, the way he smiled in that crooked way of his, his constantly vibrant eyes, the dark of his hair. She didn't like being away from him, that much was evident. And even though she was strong, even though she was tough, sometimes she really didn't want to be.

Sometimes, she felt like breaking down. Like the moments where Percy left her.

Everyone left her at least once in her life. Luke left her and died. Quintus—who was actually Daedalus, go figure—died. Thalia turned into a tree and left her on her own for five years, and then she got herself the position of a Lieutenant in Artemis' Hunters. Chiron was not just her father figure—he was the rest of the camp's too. Her father and stepmom...they just didn't understand, didn't get how hurt she was when she was seven and terrified and didn't understand why she was hated.

And Percy. Percy, he had left her, but he always came back. The quest in Labyrinth, when she thought he had almost died, when he disappeared in the Underworld, when she fell off a cliff to make sure that her friends were safe—he always came back. She always freaked out. And this time was no different, except he had gone without a care, disappeared off the face of the earth, like he had never existed in the first place. And when she was told that he had no _memory_...her heart dropped in her stomach. She wanted to throw up. Was this how love was supposed to feel? Was it supposed to make Annabeth Chase, the daughter of Athena who prided herself on her wit and sharp words, act like a nervous wreck? Because she sure loved Percy. She loved him too much for words.

So that was why this time, she wasn't going to allow herself to wallow in pity. She was going to go over there, hit him, hug him, cry, and then hit him more. And then she was going to make sure that _Hera_ (oh gods she hated this woman even _more _now) was never going to touch her boyfriend ever again. Or anyone else for that matter.

Of course, there was another worry that she refused to acknowledge in the back of her mind. _What if he doesn't remember me? What if he found someone else? _When she heard that Percy lost his memory, all the things plaguing her when she was jealous of Rachel came back ten-fold. No, thousand-fold. Her emotions were no more than a myriad of broken recordings.

That was why it was such a relief to see him, standing there, still with that crooked smile and those vibrant eyes. Staring at her in a way that made little spots of fire dance in her. Like she was the most important thing in his world.

But something had changed, too. He was different. Almost like a dictator, no longer the leader that was hesitant in his choices but still made the right ones anyways. No, he was a leader with the utmost decision and iron fist, a wild sort of look in his eyes, like a predator. Like a wolf.

Annabeth closed her laptop (once Daedalus') and set it aside. Then she tied her hair back and re-tied it before getting up and smoothing her shirt down. There were still plans to be made, a ship to go on. She had informed Grover of where Percy was, and he would be coming soon to see Percy as well. She was in charge of supplies, and this wasn't a moment where she could allow her emotions to take control; she and Percy were the longest campers here (beside Clarisse) and many people looked up to them as the leaders of Camp Half-Blood. She had to do her part.

Leo met up with Jason and Piper just outside the ship, staring at the beautiful Greek contraption. Leo pretended not to notice how his friends stood awkwardly, their hands just an inch away from touching each others'. The sun bounced off the ship, almost fully done. Leo basked in the sound of drills and flamethrowers being ignited, but he still couldn't shake off this little ball of nervousness forming inside of him.

Jason seemed to mistake his expression and clapped his hand on Leo's shoulder. "It'll all be fine," he assured. "Don't worry, man. This looks great."

"Yeah, Leo," Piper chimed in softly. "I think it's beautiful."

The corner of his mouth twitched. He wasn't exactly thinking about the boat, but hey, a guy's ego could always use some stroking. He puffed up his chest for a minute, then let it all out in a large sigh. "I'm scared," he admitted, a whisper under his breath.

"We all are," Piper replied simply, stealing a glance at Jason's decidedly impassive face. "But we're all going to be fine. If we believe in that, then it's going to come true, you know." Leo wasn't so sure, but he took comfort in Piper's words. Warm and sincere, she didn't even need to charmspeak him to get him to agree.

"I hope those Romans like it," Leo said quietly, wanting to break the ice that formed around them. He grinned. "Unless they're prefer a horse, of course," he nodded toward Jason, who rolled his eyes and punched his best friend in the arm.

Annabeth came up behind them suddenly, looking a lot much brighter than she had in forever. There seemed to be a happy light in her eyes that none of them had ever seen before. Piper could suddenly understand why Percy loved her so much; it was hard not to like an Annabeth in a good mood, and Percy seemed to put her in exactly that all the time.

"Hey!" she called out, waving her arms for them to stop in their place. Piper and Jason turned around; Leo kept staring at his contraption. If he _did _turn around, he would've seen the oddest sight ever; Annabeth smiling with another guy by her side. Well, _half_-guy. If looked past his acne ridden face and curly brown hair, you'd see that he had a goat's underbelly, with the fur and hooves and all.

Piper seemed to choke on air. "What _is _he?"

Jason's eyes flickered to her. "A faun," he said, smiling at the one that came their way. "Hi."

"Hey." the faun said. He held out a hand. "Grover Underwood, satyr. Pleased to meet you." Grover looked toward Annabeth, who nodded emphatically. "So I heard you guys are going to see Percy soon?"

Annabeth laughed. "Grover, you guys are best friends. Stop trying to act suave."

Grover crinkled his eyebrow and gave her a wounded look. "But I've been working on it so that the nymphs could listen to me? Do you know how many are rebellious up in Maine?" He shuddered. "I don't like Maine."

The blond girl rolled her eyes. "This is Grover, the satyr that found Pan two years ago." Annabeth seemed to deflate slightly in sadness when Grover's face turned slightly ashen. "He's dead now, but..."

"Pan," Leo started, "Like the god?"

Grover blinked at him, surprised. As did the three other campers with them. "Y-yeah," he finally said, "The god of all wildlife and it's creatures...he died two years ago, and ever since then..." Grover took off his rasta cap, picking at the frayed edge of one. "We—me and the other satyrs—have tried to bring back nature and all it's aspects."

"How can a god _die?_" Piper asked, confused. "I thought they were immortal."

"They are," Annabeth agreed, "But sometimes, gods can be forgotten. When no one knows or bothers about their existence, then they slowly start to fade away until they aren't in existence anymore. Like the god Pan, who is the god of the Earth's nature. As more and more people started to clear away forests for buildings and things, the more Pan became weak."

There was silence. Then, Leo let out a small, "Oh."

"Yeah," Grover sighed wearily, "Oh. Do you know when the ship is going to be done?"

Somewhat grateful that they were on a topic that Leo had a semblance of knowledge on, Leo's tense shoulders relaxed. It wasn't something that escaped Annabeth's or Jason's eye—however, the blond girl left it alone. She could tell that Jason wanted to talk it over with him first, and respected his decision. As she listened on about the _Argo II,_ Annabeth had to wonder why she had a sinking feeling in the bottom of her stomach.

Percy Jackson sniffed and rubbed his tired eyes, wishing that he was back at Camp Half-Blood. Why were Romans so _competitive?_ Gods, he must've broken up at least four fights (verbal, of course) on the course of their battle plans and plans to welcome the Greek camp into their borders. Percy had no idea that this was what Reyna had to deal with every day (and he was sorry for her). The confusion and fighting had gone on until a muscle in his jaw tightened and he pulled a Reyna: he called out. "_BE QUIET!_" to the whole Senate, and they shut up quickly.

Now he was outside, sitting on the edge of a man-made lake in New Rome, watching little kids—legacies of gods and goddesses—run around and tag each other or play with little rubber-slash-plastic swords. That just made him wonder about Octavian, and how the blond teen had gotten the position of being a sort of Oracle...or Fortune-Teller, in a way. It made Percy shudder to think of all the cut bear heads in that temple.

Percy was about to go and take a nap in the room that he was given (it still didn't feel like home) but he heard someone plop down next to him. It turned out to be Hazel, her dark hair bouncing happily after her. She had a breathy grin on her face as she greeted Percy with a, "Hi."

"Hi," the son of Neptune replied dryly.

"What's up with you?" Hazel raised an eyebrow. "I'm here because you looked lonely...and practically no one else wanted to drop by. Frank's having a talk with his other brothers and sisters." Percy shot her an alarmed look, but she raised her hands. "He told me to stay out of it. I respect his wishes."

Percy sighed. "I know, Frank can take care of himself. But...he's like a little brother. I never really had siblings as a kid, and my mom was always working to keep up our bills, so I always seem to get over-protective over the half-brothers I come to care about...or the distant relatives."

Hazel was silent for a second, her eyes distant. Then, she asked softly, "Can you tell me about your mom?"

Percy gave her a surprised look, but complied with a small smile. "She's the best person on the planet. Even though she would send me off to different schools all the time because I managed to get kicked out, she never blamed me. She even married this awful guy...he was horrible to her."

"Why'd she marry him, then?"

"He smelled horrible." At Hazel's incredulous look, Percy laughed. "No, I'm serious—he smelled really bad. When Grover first got in his car with me, I think he was about to throw up. Turns out, my mom was only married to him so that I could keep my "divine blood" hidden. Apparently, the more powerful you are, the more appealing you smell to monsters." He fell quiet, and understanding dawned on Hazel. That, and along with—what? A little pang of jealousy? Percy's mom really cared about him while hers...

"Go on," she prodded, enjoying this little time they had together. Percy was like an older brother to her, somewhat like Nico—except Percy was much more open and friendly, though she would never tell Nico that. The thought of Nico, him in Gaia's hands, made her heart lurch.

"He's dead now," Percy finished abruptly, bluntly. "Gone from the face of the earth. Thank gods—that guy was a piece of pond scum." He shook his head. "My mom married an English professor and now they both live in Manhattan together." Percy's eyes softened. His voice sounded choked. "I miss her."

Hazel was quiet. She didn't know what to say to that.

"Well," the son of Poseidon suddenly said, standing up, "I need to go get some rest. I'm tired." Even though he had just slept moments before. But if Percy was true to himself, he would say that he felt like something was draining him. Perhaps it was his newfound memory. Perhaps it was his elected praetorship. He didn't know what, but all he knew was that he wanted to _sleep more _before having to deal with everything else.

Hazel simply said nothing, nodding in understanding.

__.:.

_to be continued._


End file.
